Are you immunized against the mark of the beast?

Revelation 13 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

13 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. ² And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. ³ I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; ⁴ they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” ⁵ There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. ⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

⁷ It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. ¹² He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. ¹⁴ And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. ¹⁵ And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, ¹⁷ and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

The mark of the beast is one of the most often speculated and most feared elements of the end times. In the past it was much hard to imagine how it would be possible for someone to be able to control the entire population’s ability to buy and sell simply by whether or not they had a mark. With today’s technology it certainly seems quite possible that a one world government could create a cashless society which would set the parameters or the rules for participation.

So what is the best defense we as believers have? How do we avoid the mark of the beast? There are a couple of things we need to understand, accept and hold fast to regarding the end times and the mark of the beast. There are many who believe that believers, the church will already have been taken out of the world, through the rapture, before this time in the future occurs. It is not my intention to get involved in the doctrines of pre, mid, or post tribulation rapture. Many scholars have spent lifetimes studying those doctrines and written many books. I prefer to leave that debate to the experts, while I leave the answer to God. I am, like a friend of mine would say, a pan millenialist, I believe it will all pan out according to God’s will and His timing in the end.

As believers our focus should not be so much on the mark of the beast as it is on what is said in verse 8:   All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.   It is not the mark of the beast but rather the worship of the beast that will be the thing which separates believers from unbelievers. Throughout history and even now that line is already being drawn. In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus says:

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Those who love and serve wealth and the material possessions more than God already love and worship the beast. No one can serve two masters. This does not mean that money itself or material wealth is evil. Jesus said He came to give us life abundantly. 1 Timothy 6:10 is perhaps one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. How often have we heard it said that money is the root of all evil? The verse actually says:  “ For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”       So it is the love of money, not money and it is the root of all sorts of evil not all evil. The root of all evil is sin not money. Sin separates us from and puts us at enmity with God.  James 4:4 says: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”       Likewise 1 John 2:15 says:   “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

How do we as believers keep ourselves from worshipping the beast, the world or money? The answer is to keep first things first. God is a God of order. We can look around creation and see how intricately ordered all of creation is.  So what is the first thing we should do?  Jesus says: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.(John 14:15) Jesus says: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment.(Matthew 22:37-38)   First things first and foremost, love God with all your heart, soul and mind. You cannot serve two masters. Jesus completes His explanation of the cure for anxiety as He continues in Matthew 6, from above saying:    Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

If we will love and serve God with all our heart, soul and mind; if we will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness now, we will not have to concern ourselves with the mark of the beast. The text today says:   “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”    The perseverance of the saints, (we), they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.(Revelation 12:11)

In Psalm 56, the psalmist says:   In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?...⁸ You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?(written from the foundation of the world) …This I know, that God is for me. ¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise, ¹¹ In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
¹² Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. ¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God
In the light of the living.    May that be our prayer today.     Amen.